Commodore William Nicholson Jeffers (October 6, 1824 – July 23, 1883) was a U.S. Navy officer of the 19th century. He took part in combat operations during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and during the 1870s and early 1880s served as Chief of the

Bureau of Ordnance The Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd) was a United States Navy organization, which was responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval weapons, between the years 1862 and 1959. History Congress established the Bureau in the Departme ...

Early life and career

Jeffers was born in Swedesboro, New Jersey, and was appointed midshipman September 23, 1840. He was married to Lucy LeGrand Smith in 1850 and they had a son who died at age 7, had one daughter Anne Burton Jeffers. His early service was in frigates ''Congress'' and ''United States'', and during the

he took part in the attack on Alvarado, the capture of Tobasco, and the bombardment of Vera Cruz. DANFS, Article: Jeffers In the 1850s he was engaged in numerous expeditions to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, and was responsible for a preliminary survey of the isthmus of Honduras.

Civil War

During the early months of the Civil War, Jeffers commanded ''Philadelphia'' in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

and served in frigate ''Roanoke'' off Charleston and Hatteras Inlet. In December 1861 he took command of ''Underwriter'' and soon afterward took part in the capture of Roanoke Island and the destruction of the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

squadron at

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educ ...

. After the wounding of Captain

John Lorimer Worden John Lorimer Worden (March 12, 1818 – October 19, 1897) was a U.S. Navy officer in the American Civil War, who took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever engagement between ironclad steamships at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 9 Mar ...

of USS ''Monitor'' during her historic engagement with CSS ''Virginia'' on March 9, 1862, Jeffers assumed command, taking part mainly in shore bombardment in the James River. After Jeffers served aboard the ''Monitor'', he was assigned as inspector of ordnance in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., for the remainder of the war. Quarstein, 2010, p. 187

Later life

Jeffers commanded ''Swatara'' in the Mediterranean and in African waters and in 1873 was made chief of the

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Jeffers served in thar capacity for eight years and contributed much to the science and literature of naval ordnance. He died at Washington July 23, 1883, and was buried in the cemetery of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis, Maryland.

Namesake

The destroyer USS ''Jeffers'' (DD-621) was named in his honor.

References

Sources

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Book
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Book
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External links

history.navy.mil: USS ''Jeffers''
*
William N. Jeffers Rough Notes & Memoranda: Ordnance, 1841-1872, MS 167
held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy : {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffers, William Nicholson 1824 births 1883 deaths People from Swedesboro, New Jersey Union Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Navy officers People of New Jersey in the American Civil War